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L1BIURY OF COJIGRE- 






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I UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



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A MEMORIAL 



Lieut, Franklin Butler Crosby, 



OF THK FGCKTH REijIMKXT C. S. AKTIU.EKY, 



WHO WAS KILLED AT CHAJTCELLORSVII.LE, VA.. 
MA/ 3, L863. 

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Brwf, bra' e, and giorioo? was- his yoitg career. : 



AJXSOJX 13. IP. RANDOLPH, 
6 S 3 BROADWAY. 

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Entored, according to Act of Congress, in the year 18o"4, by 

ANSON D. F. RANDOLPH, 

,1 the Clerk's OfhVe of the District Court of the United 
States for the Southern District of New-York.. 



2 i I 



INTRODUCTION, 



The patriot's devotion to his country 
ranks only next to the Christian's de- 
votion to his Lord ; and when patriotic 
ardor is vitalized by Christian faith, it 
must impart a true heroic beauty to the 
character, which will render it illustrious 
in any sphere of life. TTe who in these 
days are paying so terrible a price for 
national existence have constant need to 
keep in mind the grand moral meaning 
of our struggle, and to realize the tone 
and spirit which animates our sons and 
brothers in their endurance unto death. 
Certainty, one of the marked features 
of our historic era is the readiness with 
which the young men of the loyal States 



Introduction. 



have comprehended its real import, and 
the alacrity with which they have arisen 
to meet the grand emergency. 

While politicians wavered, and old 
men trembled before the coming shock, 
our heroic youth saw with clear intui- 
tion the line of duty, and rising in 
mighty multitudes, pledged the ardor 
of their brave and loyal hearts to the 
rescue and salvation of the country. 

It is impossible for any candid mind 
to mistake the spirit which has inspired 
their voluntary sacrifices. An innate love 
for military service has had as little to 
do with it as the mere mercenary mo- 
tive which, in other lands, often trans- 
forms the citizen into the soldier, solely 
that he may escape the ills of poverty. 
The most favored sons of fortune, the 
educated and refined, have accepted their 
portion in this bloody baptism as cheer- 
fully as those to whom hardship was 



Introduction. 



familiar, and life an uncertain and ad- 
venturous quest. 

The explanation can be found only in 
the wholesome influence of our free in- 
stitutions, and in that wide diffusion of 
Christian principle which has taught 
our youth that loyalty and truth and 
righteousness are always to be pre- 
ferred to selfish ease and a material 
prosperity. Not useless to the nation 
in its time of sorest need have been the 
painful labors of the Church of Christ. 
Our Sabbaths sanctified, our Sunday- 
schools established far and wide, our 
glorious revivals sweeping across the 
land, with all the inspiration of a higher 
life, have been the means, under God, 
of lifting our generation to the heights 
of moral principle, on which alone the 
crisis could be met, and the struggle 
sustained, until its victorious consum- 
mation. A Christian heroism has been. 



Introduction. 



in a large degree, the main spring of this 
mighty movement, and has called forth 
these loyal bands to guard the liberties 
their fathers won — knowing full well 
the cost, and willing to pay it down in 
rivers of blood, for the grand recom- 
pense. 

To recognize this unshrinking valor 
in our youth, and to bless God for its 
well-timed display, is the spontaneous 
impulse of every loyal heart. To send 
amid their shattered ranks the nation's 
blessing, to minister to their mutilated 
bodies, in camp and hospital, by the 
sympathy and practical relief they need, 
and to place over their lowly graves the 
record of a gratitude that shall endure 
while memory survives — this is the 
duty which we owe them, in the pre- 
cious interest of liberty — in the sacred 
name of Christ. 

Evidently, then, nothing can be more 



Introduction. 



fitting than to perpetuate, in a perma- 
nent expression, the moral lineaments 
and life-work of those who have fallen 
in this glorious service. We rejoice in 
those contributions to our " living liter- 
ature," which have already made the 
lives of Frazer Stearns, Adjutant Bacon, 
Sergeant Thompson, and Chaplain Ful- 
ler a continuous power for lofty impulse 
and self-sacrifice among us. 

The name inscribed on this memorial 
is a fit companion for the noblest of 
these martyrs for liberty and Union. 

Circumstances which need not be here 
detailed have as yet prevented an elabo- 
rate and finished record of his life ; but 
for the sake of a large circle of sorrow- 
ing friends — and it is also hoped for 
public interest and profit — the follow- 
ing pages have been put in print. 

They consist chiefly of the addresses 
made at the funeral, in the Mercer street 



8 Introduction. 



Church, New-York, to which his re- 
mains had been brought for the last 
offices of religion, where, on the twen- 
tieth of May, a large congregation gath- 
ered to honor his precious memory. 

Imperfectly as these published frag- 
ments can set forth the beauty and de- 
votion of this young life, so courageous- 
ly surrendered at the behest of duty, 
they may avail to add one more voice 
to the many witnesses who, from the 
churchyards and cemeteries of our land, 
proclaim the heroism of our young men, 
and the value of the institutions thus 
loyally defended to the death. Hallow- 
ing their memories, perpetuating their 
spirit, cherishing in our heart of hearts 
the cause they loved so well, let those 
who still survive think tenderly of those 
who made their lives the ransom for the 
State. R. R. B. 



ADDRESS 

OF 

REV. ROBERT R. BOOTH. 



It is, my friends, a precious 
consolation for us to know, amid 
the ordinary troubles of our 
earthly lot, and more especially 
when the bitter sorrow which 
death brings befalls us, that "af- 
fliction cometh not forth from the 
dust, neither doth trouble spring 
out of the ground." "It is the 
Lord, let him do what seemeth 
good in his sight." " The Lord 
gave and the Lord hath taken 



io A Memorial of 



away ; blessed be the name of 
the Lord." "I was dumb; I 
opened not my mouth because 
thou didst it." 

These were the utterances of 
God's afflicted servants, in the 
olden time ; and in this recog- 
nition of a will that ought to 
be supreme, of a wisdom that 
can never err, and of a love 
that is personal, tender, and eter- 
nal, there is reason for comfort 
in the bitterest bereavements of 
our mortal life. 

I well know that it is some- 
times hard for us to realize that 
such blows can fall upon us from 
a loving hand. Certainly, if we 
look only at the present anguish 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 



and bereavement, if we think 
only of the hopes which have 
been blighted, of the sweet fel- 
lowship cut off, and the drear 
vacancy that now remains, we 
shall be cast down and desolate, 
as we cry in our anguish : "All 
thy waves and billows have 
gone over me." But I speak 
on God's authority, and from 
experience too, in saying that 
we must read these dark pages, 
in the book of Providence, by 
the light of God's revealed, 
eternal love, if we would catch 
their true meaning, and find our 
chastisement "joyous and not 
grievous." 

Life is the sovereign gift of 



1 2 A Memorial of 



God alone. He dates its rising, 
orders its progress, and ordains 
its moment of transition. It 
should always be remembered 
by us, in our times of loss, that 
while earthly friends have been 
longing and praying for its con- 
tinuance, One mightier in wis- 
dom and in love may have been 
interceding for a contrary result, 
according to his own precious 
word : " Father, I will that they 
also whom thou hast given me 
be with me where I am, that 
they may behold my glory." 

" Say, mourner, wouldst thou have pre- 
ferred that heard 
Had been the prayer of earth or that 
of heaven ; 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 13 



Eternal bliss deferred or realized, 
The cross continued, or the kingdom 
won ?" 

Oars, my friends, is a time of 
costly sacrifices, of widespread 
desolations, of sorrows which fall 
heavily on our once peaceful 
homes. Our country's service 
is exacting now " the price of 
blood/' For liberty, and union, 
and the supremacy of law, how 
many thousands are wasting with 
disease, or mutilated with gaping 
wounds, or lying in the solemn 
calm of death, like this dear 
youth before us ! Among these 
many martyred patriots, not one 
has fallen more worthy of our 



14 A Memorial of 



sincere affection and grateful 
memory than he. 

When a young man of such 
rare promise and true nobility of 
character has finished his course 
in the presence of the nation 
and for its defense, it is the 
duty and the privilege of those 
who feel that he died for them 
to proclaim his virtues, and im- 
press the example of his beauti- 
ful career. 

He whom we mourn to-day 
was, in a peculiar sense, the 
child of this church, having been 
brought here in his infancy to 
the baptismal font, and having 
grown up in vital union with 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 15 



all the ordinances and privileges 
of this house of God. 

It is, therefore, the occasion of 
sincere thanksgiving that it has 
pleased God to permit us to re- 
ceive his precious dust among 
us, and from this scene of his 
own Christian faith and labors, 
to bear it to the house appointed 
for all the living. 

Franklin Butler Crosby 
was born on the fourth of Feb- 
ruary, 1841, being the first child 
of Mr. John P. and Mrs. Mar- 
garet Butler Crosby. His bap- 
tismal name was derived from 
his maternal grandfather, Ben- 
jamin Franklin Butler, between 
whom and this first-born of his 



A Memorial of 



children's children there existed 
the most tender and affectionate 
sympathy, a tie of earthly love 
now purified and made perpetual 
in God's heavenly kingdom. 

As a child of the covenant, 
Frank was successively connect- 
ed with the infant-class, the 
Sabbath-school, and with the 
church, to which, when under 
the pastoral charge of the Eev. 
Dr. Prentiss, he united on the 
eighteenth of October, 1854, be- 
ing at the time thirteen years of 
age. Afterward he was connect- 
ed with the young men's Bible- 
class, and with the mission-school 
in Avenue D, where he contin- 
ued to labor as a faithful teacher 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 17 



until his departure from the city. 
He was also interested and active 
in the young men's prayer-meet- 
ing. Thus, in the church of 
God, he lived and grew to man- 
hood in relations which became 
continually closer to all that i3 
lovely and of good report. 

It would hardly be appropri- 
ate for me to speak, in a public 
assembly, of that domestic life 
in which the tenderness of his 
filial and fraternal love was 
blended with the graces of his 
growing manhood ; making him 
so obedient, so helpful, so dis- 
creet, that those who were re- 
lated to him thus lavished upon 
him the fullness of their hearts. 



i8 A Memorial of 



After his graduation at the 
Free Academy in 1860, he en- 
tered the law-office of his father, 
and gave diligent attention to 
his elected calling. 

Soon after this, the flame of 
civil war was kindled in the land, 
and he immediately prepared to 
give a loyal and hearty support 
to his country's cause. His 
health was vigorous, his form 
a model of perfect manhood, 
and he numbered himself, from 
the beginning, among those who 
ought to go to the war. 

At this time he joined a reg- 
iment then organizing in the 
city, to be prepared for active 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 19 



service when the country should 
require its aid. 

After the battle of Bull Bum, 
he felt that he was imperatively 
summoned to the field. A com- 
mission as Second Lieutenant in 
the Fourth Kegiment, U. S. Ar- 
tillery, was soon obtained, and 
he joined his regiment at Fort 
McIIenry, in August, 1801. 

He was soon promoted, for 
good conduct and ability, to be 
the First Lieutenant ; and, on the 
appointment of Captain Best, 
his commanding officer, to the 
post of Chief of Artillery in the 
Twelfth Army Corps, Lieutenant 
Crosby became the acting com- 
mander of his. company, an . hon- 



20 A Memorial of 



orable and responsible position, 
whose arduous duties he ever 
performed to the entire satisfac- 
tion of his superiors. Of the 
various services which he ren- 
dered to the cause in this re- 
lation it would be impossible 
for me to speak as they deserve. 

During the winter of 1861 and 
1862 he was stationed with his 
battery in General Banks's divi- 
sion, which was then guarding 
the line of the Potomac, above 
the Monocacy. Here he saw 
constant service, and had a full 
share in all the labors of that 
arduous winter. 

At one time prostrated by a 
severe attack of fever, on his 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 21 



recovery stationed at Harper's 
Ferry, afterward with the ad- 
vance down the valley of Vir- 
ginia to Harrisonburgh ; guard- 
ing the rear in Banks's retreat 
from Winchester, and bringing 
off all his guns in safety ; ar- 
dent in action, courageous in 
reverses; always anxious for the 
most active service ; careful of 
his men, unsparing of himself; 
courteous toward the population 
around him — he continually sus- 
tained the character of the pa- 
triot soldier and the Christian 
gentleman. 

In a letter written from this 
locality, and received since his 
death, it. is remarked: u He has 



22 A "Memorial of 



left a truly honorable name in 
this community, and every one 
who knew him here in his life- 
time, now that he is dead, has 
an expression of regret for his 
untimely fall, and a word of 
j) raise for his memory." 

During the spring of the pres- 
ent year he was stationed with 
his company at Stafford Court- 
House, in Virginia, until he was 
ordered to the front to partici- 
pate in the recent movements 
of the army. A letter which 
he wrote in January will reveal 
the spirit with which he stood 
in his appointed lot. After de- 
ploring the ill success which had 
attended so . many efforts, and 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 23 



the failure to achieve decisive 
victories, lie adds: "Each one, 
however, must do his duty, work 
out his own part of the great 
plan ; and, although knowing 
and lamenting existing errors, 
which are beyond his control, 
must not be discouraged, but, 
with a pure intention and a firm 
trust in God, go forward on his 
path of duty." 

It was in such a spirit that 
he marched with his men to 
join in the wild storm of bat- 
tle which was soon to rage in 
the wilderness on the south bank 
of the Kappahannock. 

On the second day of May, 
his battery was stationed at 



24 A Memorial of 



Chancellorsville, and was active- 
ly engaged, with some loss, 
though he himself escaped all 
harm. On the evening of that 
day his guns were well posted, 
in readiness for service, and sent 
forth their volleys through the 
night, assisting to repel the as- 
sault of " Stonewall " Jackson. 

Early on the morning of the 
third, another attack was made 
by the enemy upon a ridge, 
where his battery, with several 
others, about thirty guns in all, 
had been massed to check their 
furious charge. The onset was 
bravely met, and the conflict 
prolonged for hours about that 
spot. Many brave men there 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 25 



yielded up their lives, and among 
them it pleased God that Lieu- 
tanant Crosby should be num- 
bered. At half-past eight, on 
that fair Sabbath morning, a 
bullet from a sharpshooter, who 
had secretly gained the right 
flank of the battery, and had sin- 
gled out its commander, pierced 
his breast, and in about five 
minutes his brief but glorious 
career was ended. It was a 
quick summons from that fiery 
battle to the spirit world, but 
long enough for him to resign 
himself to God's forgiving mercy, 
through the Lord Jesus Christ, 
and to send a loving, comforting 
message to his parents. " Tell 



z6 A Memorial oi 



my parents that I die happy. 
Loid forgive my sins." 

"Ah me! that by so frail and feeble 
thread 
Our life is holden ; that not life 
alone, 
But all that life has won 

May, in an hour, be gathered to tho 
dead." 

His body was borne tenderly 
to the rear by bis own men, 
whose tears fell on him as they 
laid him on the green sward ; 
and after the retreat, it was re- 
covered, nnder flag of truce, em- 
balmed, and brought for burial 
to this house of God, where, 
twenty -two years ago, he was 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 27 



publicly consecrated in the or- 
dinance of baptism. 

In a letter written at five 
o'clock, on the morning of the 
preceding day, he has expressed 
tbe feelings with which he en-' 
tered upon these fatal scenes. 
"This, from appearances last 
night," he wrote, "is destined to 
be the day. If we fight, it will 
be the hardest of the war, and 
it is awful to think of the im- 
mense slaughter. I hope I may 
be preserved; but if I am not, 
I trust only in the merits of a 
crucified Saviour, for acceptance 
with God." And this last letter 
closes with a desire that if he 
should be ..among the dead, his 



23 A Memorial of 



loss might be tenderly blessed 
to the dear borne be loved so 
well. 

I am permitted to extract from 
tbe letter of Captain Best, bis 
commanding officer, a few lines, 
which reveal the esteem in which 
bis subordinate was held : " Be- 
lieve me, when I say that this 
shock is nearly as great a one 
to me as it can be to you. 
Lieutenant Crosby was a young 
man of fine promise, unexcep- 
tionable in his habits and moral 
character; a Christian who prac- 
tised what he believed ; ambi- 
tious in his profession, and will- 
ing to stand by the government 
in all its measures. He had my 



Franklin Butler Crosby. tg 



company in splendid condition, 
and fought it well." 

To these statements of his 
military career one thing should 
be added. His connection with 
these scenes of war was only 
for a purpose and for a time. 
When I last spoke with him, 
standing there close by the spot 
where his coffin is now placed, 
I asked him: " Are you in for 
this service permanently, or only 
till the war is over?" His re- 
ply was : "I shall be very glad 
to be back in the old place, but 
I must do my duty to the end." 
His was no craving for military 
position and renown, but a pure, 
patriotic fervor which made him 



30 A Memorial of 



a soldier from principle, so long 
as his country needed his sword; 
that service finished, he longed 
to take his place again in peace- 
ful scenes, and live apart from 
strife and war. 

This record should not close 
without a further reference to 
the consistency of his Christian 
character, amid the trying scenes 
of his career. We can all real- 
ize how great a trial of the faith 
of a young Christian it must be 
to stand up for Jesus amid the 
corruptions of the camp, and in 
the carnage of the battle. Oar 
dear friend never forgot that he 
was Christ's soldier before he 
was- the - soldier of the nation. 



Franklin Buticr Crosby. 31 



His letters show a real growth 
in grace and Christian manhood 
daring his military life. In one 
he writes: " Another Sabbath is 
just past, one in which I have 
very much felt the want of some 
Christian friend to converse with. 
I am, as it were, alone, but not 
alone, for there is one Friend 
who always is with those who 
trust in him. I pray that I 
may be enabled to live nearer 
to him, to put more implicit 
trust and confidence in his 
doings, to have more faith in 
his word, and to do more for 
his cause than I have ever done. 
At times I feel very despondent, 
for I do not seem to. have made 



3 2 A Memorial of 



any progress in the Christian 
life, but to be continually more 
and more falling short of my 
duty. I lack perseverance. Oh! 
that Christ might strengthen me 
to do his work ! ' 

That these were really the 
aspirations of a soul hungering 
and thirsting after righteousness, 
is evident, as one traces the 
manner of his daily life. I find 
him laboring for the spiritual 
welfare of his men, talking about 
Christ to his negro servant, act- 
ing as chaplain at the burial 
of his soldiers; on one occasion 
reading the eleventh, chapter of 
St. John's gospel, making com- 
ments upon it, and offering pray- 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 33 



er. He was kind to the sick, 
patient with the erring, atten- 
tive to every little duty, winning 
thus the entire devotion of his 
command. I have read the tes- 
timony of an unbeliever and 
skeptic concerning him. " He 
was a true Christian." 

Many of his letters are radiant 
with his Christian experience. 
"What a glorious, blessed thing," 
he writes, "is the Christian re- 
ligion ! How simple and how 
wonderful ! I have, this past 
week, been enabled to live much 
nearer to Christ than ever be- 
fore. And while I have enjoy- 
ed it much, it makes me de- 
sire, more strongly than ever, 



34 A Memorial of 



to live wholly to him. The 
whole religion is summed up in 
the one word 'faith,' and that 
mine might be increased is my 
earnest prayer. And when this 
faith is perfected in sight, what a 
blessed experience will be ours! 
At times I feel as if I could 
almost wish for trouble and suf- 
fering, to bring me near to 
Christ. How happy we shall 
be when we all meet around 
the throne of God in heaven, 
where is no more sin or sorrow, 
and where we shall know Christ 
as we ought ! That through his 
righteousness all our dear rela- 
tions may have this blessing, is 
my prayer." 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 35 



I look with admiration upon 
this fair example of a Christian 
character, coupled with so much 
devotion to the stern, rugged 
war-work to which he was ap- 
pointed. So brave, and yet so 
gentle; so thoughtful for others; 
so unsparing of himself; so pure 
in his morality, and yet so re- 
liant on his Saviour's righteous- 
ness. I utter only the honest 
convictions of my heart in say- 
ing, that while among the he- 
roes who have fallen in this 
strife, he may take rank with 
Greble, with Ellsworth, and with 
Winthrop, his name and mem- 
ory are also worthy of a place, 
in Christian annals, by the side 



36 A Memorial of 



of those of Major Vandeleur 
and Headley Vicars, of the Brit- 
ish army, or Frazer Stearns, 
and Chaplain Butler, of our own. 

" Soldier of Christ, well done ; 
Rest from thy stern employ : 
The battle fought, the victory won, 
Enter thy Master's joy. 

" The voice at day-dawn came ; 
He started up to hear ; 
The mortal bullet pierced his frame, 
He fell — but felt no fear. 

" Soldier of Christ, well done ; 
Praise be thy new employ ; 
And while eternal ages run, 
Rest in thy Saviour's joy." 

To the young men who were 
his comrades and companions we 
commend this radiant picture 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 37 



of a heroic Christian life. His 
course is finished; but although, 
dead, he still is speaking to us. 
The lesson of his sacrifice bids 
us cherish those two great ob- 
jects of devotion which he loved 
so well — that flag, our coun- 
try's emblem, which now en- 
folds him with its stars and 
stripes ; that cross to which on 
earth he came, and before whose 
ascended Sufferer he now stands, 
clothed in a beauty not of earth. 



ADDRESS 

BY 

REV GEO. L PRENTISS, D.D. 



As I look over this great 
congregation, my mind's eye re- 
verts to another assembly con- 
vened in this same sanctuary 
some nine years ago. How 
well I remember the impressive 
scene which presented itself, as 
standing in this place I minis- 
tered at the altar of God, on 
that Sabbath afternoon in the 
pleasant month of October ! 
How vividly I recall from among 



Franklin Butier Crosby. 39 



the faces that then slione "upon 
me that of the sainted grand- 
father* of him whose mortal re- 
mains lie before us. Who that 
saw him will ever forget that 
eye or that face ? He was one 
of the best men I ever knew. 
I esteem it one of the privileges 
of my life to have been his pas- 
tor and friend, and I esteem it 
a privilege hardly less to have 
been so long the pastor and 
friend of the noble youth whose 
early confession of Christ he 
watched that afternoon with such 
tender interest, and around whose 
bier we are gathered this morn- 
ing. 

* The late Hon. Benjamin F. Butler. 



4.0 A Memorial of 



It would be wrong, my friends, 
to say that we have not been 
summoned to this house of God 
on a mournful errand. A great 
private and public loss has call- 
ed us together. The sudden ex- 
tinction of so much manly 
strength and beauty, of so much 
Christian promise, must needs 
excite emotions of sharp regret 
in every bosom. 

To weep with those that weep 
is a sacred duty ; and who of 
us does not feel like doing so 
now? For myself I would 
gladly leave this pulpit, take 
my place among the mourners, 
and mingle my tears with theirs. 
Certainly they need our warm- 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 41 



est sympathies. Oh! how many 
bright hopes, what ardent and 
clear affections, what a fair pro- 
mise of useful and happy days, 
lie buried in this coffin ! And 
yet, blessed be God ! there is 
another side to the picture, a 
side radiant with immortal joy 
and peace. He whom we mourn 
has indeed been snatched from 
us in the very prime of man- 
hood ; but, as you have just 
heard, with what fine Christian 
qualities was that early man- 
hood adorned ! The days of 
two and twenty summers suf- 
ficed to ripen in him the love- 
liest virtues. He had the inno- 
cence, the joyousness, and the 



42 A Memorial of 



simple tastes of a pure-minded, 
happy boy, combined with the 
intelligent vigor, the loyalty, 
courage, and determination of 
maturest years. But the most 
striking feature of his character, 
as I recall him, was that to 
which allusion has already been 
made — his ardent, filial piety. 
Nothing could be more charm- 
ing than this trait, as it appeared 
in the domestic circle, of which 
he was such a "bright, particu- 
lar star." All who knew him 
in the bosom of his family will 
bear witness to his rare devo- 
tion, both as a son and broth- 
er. The first words which he 
is reported to have uttered, after 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 43 



the fatal bullet pierced his side, 
"Tell my parents that I die happy, 11 
are as characteristic as they are 
touching and beautiful. Nature 
and grace conspired to render, 
him dear to his friends. It 
would take a long time to give 
full utterance to my own affec- 
tion for him, and my high es- 
timate of his worth. But, while 
I shall attempt no labored eulo- 
gy, there are some features of 
his Christian character which 
seem to me deserving of special 
emphasis. You have just been 
told that he chose the profession 
of arms, not because he desired 
it, but from an overwhelming 
sense of duty. I well remember 



44 A Memorial of 



his decision to go into the army. 
It so chanced that I was spend- 
ing a few weeks under his fath- 
er's roof at the time. I had 
several conversations with him 
on the subject, and am quite 
sure that he consecrated himself 
to the service of his imperiled 
country with a self-devotion not 
less pure and entire than that 
with which, nine years ago, he 
here offered himself to God, and 
took the sacramental oath of 
allegiance to Jesus Christ. His 
piety was the very soul of his 
patriotism. 

I hold in my hand a little 
book, whose name is familiar 
as a household word through- 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 45 



out Christendom. It is a book 
marked by some faults, but full 
of holy thought and pious coun- 
sels. For several centuries it 
has been a manual of the Christ- 
ian life to many myriads of 
saints. It is Tlie Imitation of 
Jesus Christ I find that our 
young friend took with him this 
little book, upon setting out for 
the war. It passed into his 
hands in August, 1861, and 
passed out of them only with 
his life. That he read it often 
and carefully is evident from the 
number of passages which bear 
his pencil-marks. And here let 
me say, that such marks on the 
books he reads afford an almost 



46 A Memorial of 



infallible test of a man's moral 
and religions taste. There are 
old family Bibles which contain, 
in simple lines on the margin, 
the history of many a devout 
and eminently nsefnl life. How 
often has the life of the devoted 
minister or missionary of the 
cross been written in these dumb 
characters upon the pages of 
God's Word! Now the passages 
marked in this little book are 
very striking in one respect ; 
they nearly all indicate a severe 
inward conflict such as no one 
would have anticipated in a 
young man so fall of life and 
spirits. You will perceive the 
nature of the conflict if I read to 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 47 



you a few sentences. In the table 
of contents I find these two chap- 
ters specially marked : " How a 
desolate person ought to offer 
himself into the hands of God." 
" We ought to offer up ourselves 
and all that is ours unto God." 
And, in the body of the work, 
of the many passages marked, 
allow me to read a few: "Fight 
like a good soldier ; and if thou 
sometimes fall through frailty, 
take again greater strength than 
before, trusting in my more abun- 
dant grace." " Christ's whole life 
was a cross and martyrdom, and 
dost thou seek rest and joy for 
thyself?" "Sometimes thou shalt 
be forsaken of God, sometimes. 



48 A Memorial of 



thou shalt be troubled by thy 
neighbor ; and, what is more, 
oftentimes thou shalt be weari- 
some to thyself; neither canst 
thou be delivered or eased, by 
any remedy or comfort, but so 
long as it pleaseth God thou 
oughtest to bear it." "Be mind- 
ful of the profession thou hast 
made, and have always before 
the eyes of thy soul the re- 
membrance of thy Saviour cru- 
cified." 

I will read but a single pas- 
sage more : {; There is scarcely 
any thing wherein thou hast 
such need to die to thyself as 
in seeing and suffering those 
things that are adverse to thy 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 49 



will, especially when that is 
commanded to be done which 
seemeth unto thee inconvenient 
or useless." 

It is not likely that such a 
book should have been taken 
to the camp, and there read so 
often, and that many such pas- 
sages should have been marked 
by one whose spiritual life was 
not in vigorous exercise. It is 
plain, that while fighting in the 
service of his country, this gal- 
lant young soldier was also fight- 
ing earnestly the good fight of 
faith, and laying hold on eternal 
life. 

This occasion, then, is one of 
joy as well as sadness : nor can 



50 A Memorial of 



1 close without congratulating 
you, my clear brother, and all 
this bereaved family circle, upon 
the rare privilege of having pos- 
sessed such a son, such a young 
relative and friend, for the serv- 
ice of Christ and of our af- 
flicted country. I look upon 
this lamented youth, as a type 
of the young American patriot 
and Christian soldier ; and I 
do not doubt that out of this 
war, out of all these public and 
private tribulations, there will 
come forth a great company, 
fashioned after the same pattern. 
We shall have thousands and 
tens of thousands of them. Let 
the old men who hear me, and 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 51 



whose hearts sink within them 
at 'the sight of so many of our 
noblest youth cut down in their 
beauty, comfort themselves with 
this thought. The blood of these 
young soldiers of the republic 
is to be the seed of a better 
church and state of the future. 
A new race of American citizens 
will arise, who shall live, and 
move, and have their being, first 
in God, and then in the service 
of this vast and glorious com- 
monwealth of Christian order, 
freedom, and humanity, which 
we have inherited from our 
fathers. I say, therefore, that 
even in the presence of this 
great bereavement, we have am- 



52 A Memorial of 



pie reason for joy and thanks- 
giving. We can not but praise 
God as we look back over the 
beautiful life so early sacrificed 
upon the altar of our country ; 
nor can we help rejoicing as we 
look forward and see thousands 
taking lessons of patriotic de- 
votion from the example, and 
eagerly treading in the footsteps 
of this heroic youth. Let not 
our souls be cast down nor dis- 
quieted within us. Let us hope 
still in God, and commit our 
imperiled Union, with all the 
vast interests at stake, into His 
omnipotent hands, assured be- 
yond a doubt that, as He led 
our fathers like a flock, so He 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 53 



will lead us, and, in due time, 
bring the whole nation forth, 
out of this sea of trouble, with 
the voice of praise and thanks- 
giving upon its lips; and when 
we are gone, He will take our 
children and our children's child- 
ren by the hand, and guide them 
also in the right way, even to 
the latest generation. In this 
cheering faith let us return to 
the work of life, and press for- 
ward with unfaltering steps, un- 
til wa pass into "a better coun- 
try, that is, a heavenly," and 
there join our departed Christian 
friends, and the saints of all 
ages, in ascribing blessing, and 
honor, and glory, and power, 



54 A Memorial of 



unto Him that sitteth upon the 
throne, and unto the Lamb, for- 
ever and ever. Amen. 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 55 



RESOLUTIONS. 

At a meeting of the Class of 
I860, New-York Free Academy, 
held May 13th, 1863, the fol- 
lowing resolutions were unani- 
mously adopted: 

Whereas, By the death of Lieutenant 
Franklin B. Crosby, of the Fourth 
United States Artillery, killed at the 
battle of Chancellorsville, on the third 
day of May, 1863, we lost another class- 
mate; and 

Whereas, We deem it our duty to 
honor manliness and Christian virtue, 
and to bear our testimony to their ex- 
istence ; therefore, be it 

Resolved, That in Franklin B. Crosby 
we lost a classmate who, as a scholar, 
reflected honor on us in the past, and 
would have continued so to do by his 



56 A Memorial of 



ability, his learning, and the success he 
\vas certain to attain in that profession 
from the study of which he was called 
by the demands of a patriotism to which 
his life was a sacrifice ; a friend, warm, 
trusted, and beloved ; a man who, car- 
rying his Christian principles without 
pretension, into all the relations of life, 
was modest, energetic, and true. And 
Resolved, That in his answer, given 
shortly before his death, at the post of 
duty, " I command it to-day, and intend 
to command it," we recognize the same 
modest energy and decision, and the 
same enduring loyalty to duty, which 
characterized his whole life, and caused 
him, at his country's call, to relinquish 
the luxuries of home, a dear family, 
many warm friends, and a future of 
happiness and ease, for the hardships 
and isolation of the camp, and the un- 
certainties of battle. That in his last 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 57 



words, " I die happy," we have an un- 
necessary proof of his sincerity, and an 
assurance that he has "fought the good 
fight," and gone to reap the rewards of 
a Christian life. And 

Resolved, That we hereby express our 
sorrow at the loss the community and 
our country have sustained in the death 
of so upright and able a man, and so 
brave and loyal an officer, and we in so 
dear and honored a classmate and friend. 
And be it further 

Resolved, That we offer his family 
and friends our sympathies, hoping that, 
as we are in common deeply grieved at 
his loss, so in common we may find in 
his virtues comfort and reconciliation, 
and objects of emulation. 



Jit titctrarriaw. 



Not so, brave boy, would we have had 

thee die, 
[f die thou must ! On daintiest couch 

to lie, 
Soothed with the sweetest ministries of 

love, 
Ravished with foretastes of thy home 

above, 
Were meet for thee ; and on our faith's 

tried wings 
To soar from earth and its disquietings. 
And when that pure, bright soul had 

sped its way 
Joyfully homeward, to the unconscious 

clay 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 59 



What reverent office had we loved to 

pay! 
So would we have it ; but so willed not 

God. 
Far from all friends, upon the earth just 

trod i 

By footsteps dyed in blood, He bade 

thee lie ; 
And 'mid the battle's roar Himself alone 

received thy parting sigh. 
The " drapery of thy couch " alone en- 
folds thee, 
But God in His own sleepless watch yet 

holds thee ; 
Thy precious dust is precious in His 

sight ; 
Denying it to us, He, day and night, 
Himself holds guard. And when His 

morning comes, 
We, who lie slumbering in our marble 

tombs, 
Shall not spring forth at His arousing 

word 



6o A Memorial of 



More joyously than he who on the 

sward, 
Rather than 'neath it, waits his dearest 

Lord! 
Thou, too, risen Christ ! in death 

hast lain ! 
Thou, too, by wicked, murderous hands 

wast slain ! 
Oh ! help our faltering faith ! Let us be 

still ; 
And only will what thou, dear Lord, 

dost will ; 
Yielding to thee, by choice and not by 

might, 
The body and the soul, so precious in 

our sight. 
From sunny heights, our loved one, with 

calm brow, 
Looks down upon the field where he 

but now 
Stood earnest actor. But 'mid heavenly 

joys, 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 6l 



Oh ! what to him are battle's fray and 

noise ? 
His work all done — and in his youth 

well done — 
He early rests with God's eternal Son. 
A little while, a few more days of strife, 
And we, too, on the battle-field of life, 
Shall gaze from those same heights : til; 

then, Lord ! 
Let us toil on, obedient to thy word ; 
Strong in thy strength, until the vie 

tory's won, 
And thou shalt say, faithful souls ! 

well done ! P. 

Sunday Evening, May 10, 1S63. 



The above was written when it was 
supposed that the remains of Lieutenant 
Crosby could not be recovered. 



Jranhlht §utUr Crosbg. 

Chancellorsville, May 3, 1863. 

BY WILLIAM ALLEN BUTLER. 

He was our noblest, he was our bravest 
and best ! 
Tell me the post that the bravest ever 
have filled. 
The front of the fight ! It was his. For 
the rest — 
Read the list of the killed. 

On the crown of the ridge, where the 
sulphurous crest 
Of the battle wave broke, in its thun- 
der and flame, 
While his country's badge throbbed with 
each beat of his breast, 
He faced death when it came. 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 63 



His battery planted in front, the Briga- 
dier cried, 
"Who commands it?" as fiercely the 
foe charged that way ; 
Then how proudly our gallant Lieuten- 
ant replied, 
"I command it to-day !" 

There he stood by his guns ; stout heart, 
noble form ; 
Home and its cherished ones never, 
never so dear, 
Round him the whirlwind of battle, 
through the wild storm, 
Duty never so clear. 

Duty, the life of his life, his sole guiding 
star, 
The best joy of his being, the smile 
that she gave, 
Her call the music by which he marched 
to the war, 
Marched to a soldier's grave. 



6.| A Memorial of 



Too well aimed, with its murderous de 
mon-like hiss, 
To his heart, the swift shot, on its 
errand has flown — 
Call it rather the burning, impetuous 
kiss 
With which Fame weds her own ! 

There he fell on the field, the flag waving 
above, 
Faith blending with joy in his last 
parting breath, 
To his Saviour his soul, to his country 
the love 
That was stronger than death. 

Ah ! how sadly, without him, we go on 
our way, 
Speaking softer the name that has 
dropped from our prayers ; 
But as we tell the tale to our children 
to-day, 
They shall tell it to theirs. 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 65 



He is our hero, ever immortal and 
young, 
With her martyrs his land clasps him 
now to her breast, 
And with theirs his loved name shall be 
honored and sung, 
Still our bravest and best ! 



Six Wtmmmm. 



Ay ! leave the Stripes and Stars 
Above him, with the precious cap and 

sash ; 
The mute mementoes of the battle-crash, 

And of a hero's scars. 

Rest, gallant soldier, rest! 
Ennobled e'en in dying: Christ's true 

knight 
Is now a king, in royal glory bright, 

With "Victor" on his crest. 

And yet — God giveth sleep ; 
No earthly victor's laurels ever shed 
A glory like the halo round his head. 

Ye loved him — should you weep ? 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 67 



Say ye, " His life is lost. ; 
Our home's sweet comfort, and our crown 

of hope" ? 
Nay, friends ! His life has now a grand- 
er scope. 
A living holocaust. 

To God, and truth, and right, 
It aye hath been ; and if the gleaming 

coal 
On God's own altar hath upborne the 
soul 
In fiery chariot bright, 

'Mid battle roar and strife ; 
If to the fearless soldier, God's release 
Came swiftly, with the seal of perfect 
peace 

Upon his earthly life ; 

Ay, though it sorely crush 

The hearts that clung to him — poor 

hearts that ache 



68 A Memorial of 



With yearning sense of loss — oh ! for his 
sake, 
Each wail of anguish hush ! 

And yet, ye well may weep, 
As those who mourned the holy martyr 

erst, 
On whose glad eyes heaven's waiting 
glories burst, 
Before " he fell asleep." 

A hero-heart is still, 
And eyes are sealed ; and loving lips are 

mute, 
Which bore on earth the Spirit's golden 
fruit. 
But peace! It was God's will. 

And for our precious land — 
The land he loved and died for in her 

need, 
The blood of heroes is the country's 
seed. 
As he stood, let us stand. 



Franklin Butler Crosby. 60 



He crowned your soldier, " d}- ing at his 

guns." 
Oh ! be the nation worthy of such sons — 
The noble-hearted slain ! 

And so we sadty lay, 
Yet not all sadly, though with tearful 

eyes, 
A. little nameless flower where he lies. 

And gently steal away. 




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